—- FIFA confirmed today the worldwide extension of sanctions imposed on 27 players concerning match manipulation-related proceedings conducted by the Estonian Football Association (EFA), the Latvian Football Federation (LFF), the Swedish Football Association (SVFF) and the Czech Republic Football Association (FACR).

The EFA Disciplinary Committee, which met on 5 December 2014, sanctioned 21 players with bans from taking part in any football-related activities.

The sanctions included: nine lifetime bans, two bans for six years (until 5 December 2020), six bans for four years (until 5 December 2018), two bans for two years (until 5 December 2016) and two bans for one year (until 5 December 2015).

Of the players sanctioned, 16 are Estonian nationals and the remaining five have “undefined citizenship” (which, according to the Estonian FA, is a term used to denote a post-Soviet form of statelessness).

The sanctions related to the manipulation of matches in the Estonian top league, the Meistriliiga, the Estonian Cup and Estonian U–21 national team matches. Four of the players appealed against the decisions taken by the EFA Disciplinary Committee and, on 12 January 2015, the EFA Appeals Committee rejected their appeals.

In Latvia, the LFF Disciplinary Committee decided on 24 October 2014 to sanction the Latvian players Jevgēnijs Kosmačovs and Aleksandrs Vlasovs as well as the officials Jevgēnijs Klopovs (Latvia) and Ivan Tabanov (Moldova) with provisional bans from taking part in any football-related activities, in the scope of a match manipulation-related investigation.

Although the players and one of the officials appealed against the decision, this was rejected on 21 November 2014 by the LFF Appeals Committee, which confirmed the relevant sanctions.

In Sweden, the SVFF Disciplinary Committee sanctioned the Serbian player Adnan Ajrovic on

7 November 2014 with a ban from taking part in any football-related activities for the period
12 September 2014 – 11 September 2016, in relation to the attempted manipulation of a match of the Swedish second-tier league, the Superettan.

The player appealed against the decision and, on 3 February 2015, the Swedish Supreme Sports Tribunal (“Riksidrottsnämnden”) rejected his appeal.

Finally, in the Czech Republic, the FACR Disciplinary Board decided on 6 March 2014 to sanction the Czech player David Placák with a ban from taking part in any football-related activities for a period of five years (until 6 February 2019), in relation to the manipulation of two matches in the Czech football league played in 2013.

The chairman of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has decided to extend all of the above-mentioned sanctions to have worldwide effect on 23 March 2015, in accordance with article 78 paragraph 1(c) and article 136ff of the FIFA Disciplinary Code. The relevant member associations and UEFA have been duly notified today of the chairman’s decisions.

deCoubertin to Publish Fairclough Autobiography

London 31 March, deCoubertin Books are delighted to announce plans to publish the autobiography of former Liverpool forward David Fairclough.

Written in collaboration with LFCTV producer, Mark Platt, Supersub: The Story of Football’s Most Famous Number 12, Fairclough relives the highs and lows of a colourful career. He recalls his meteoric rise to stardom and the priceless contribution he made to Liverpool’s remarkable success under Bob Paisley.

From his key role against St Etienne on arguably Anfield’s greatest night, through a career that witnessed 19 major trophies, Fairclough lifts the lid on what life was really like for him in the Anfield dressing room of that time, his often fraught relationship with Paisley and explains the psychological burden of being cast as ‘the outsider looking in’.

David Fairclough said: ‘Having spent years answering questions about my career, the opportunity is now there for me to put all my memories together and explain fully why things worked out the way they did. It’s a chance to acknowledge all the people who influenced my life professionally and personally, in an honest and frank read.’

deCoubertin Books Founder and principal, James Corbett, said: ‘Fairclough’s story is at once a compelling insight into one of the greatest teams in football history and the gripping memoir of one of Liverpool’s most popular sons. One of the most fascinating aspects of the book is how David addresses the psychological aspects of his career as a professional footballer. He is very honest and asks a lot of hard questions not just of himself but also some of the illustrious figures, like Bob Paisley, whom he encountered. It is far more than just a football autobiography; I’m confident it will be one of the best sports books this year.’

Supersub will be published on 6 August 2015, priced £18.99.

-Ends-

About deCoubertin Books
Founded in 2009, deCoubertin Books is a small publisher with big ideas. We use our experience from the worlds of journalism, web, publishing and design to produce beautiful non-fiction books that we passionately believe in.

—- Representatives from 145 ECA Member Clubs attended the 14th European Club Association two-day General Assembly in Stockholm, which centred on the announcement of two landmark collaboration agreements with FIFA and UEFA.

ECA AGREEMENTS WITH FIFA AND UEFA

ECA unveiled today two new agreements with FIFA and UEFA which are set to shape the next seven years of European football. Each deal guarantees a package of benefits to European clubs that go far beyond the financial. In the future, clubs will have a greater say in the governance models of both FIFA and UEFA, recognising clubs’ important contribution to the success of national team football and the development of football as a whole.

ECA-FIFA Agreement

The agreement will see the creation of the FIFA Professional Football Department, composed of FIFA, ECA and player representatives. The new body will serve as a platform to discuss all matters related to professional football, and will make recommendations to the FIFA Committees. ECA now has its strongest ever mandate to promote clubs’ interests at FIFA level and develop a more collaborative working relationship. From this point on, any changes to the International Match Calendar or the principles of the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players will require explicit consent from ECA.

The FIFA World Cup club benefits will almost treble under the new agreement. For the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia and the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar, every club which supplies players for the tournament will receive a proportional share of $209 million, up from $70 million for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil. The distribution mechanism will be identical to the method used in 2014.

ECA-UEFA Memorandum of Understanding

The renewed Memorandum of Understanding secures two seats for ECA Club Representatives on the UEFA Executive Committee – first as “co-opted” members, then as full members (subject to the revision of the UEFA Statutes in 2016). This is a major achievement for ECA and a strong statement of UEFA’s commitment to modern and dynamic governance models. The ECA Club Representatives to join the UEFA Executive Committee are yet to be confirmed.

The new MoU further increases the role of the UEFA Club Competitions Committee, wielding more meaningful influence on top-level decision-making. The UEFA Club Competitions Committee refers directly to the UEFA Executive Committee and will retain a “Referral Right” on a number of issues affecting clubs or club competitions. It will also be informed and consulted on marketing and financial matters and be composed exclusively of club representatives.

In the future, the clubs’ financial benefits from UEFA EURO will be calculated as a percentage of the total gross revenue. In 2020, clubs will receive 8% of income from broadcast, commercial and ticketing/hospitality, with the minimum set at €200 million.

In response to the ever-growing revenues from the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League (note: the 2015-18 cycle sees a 32% increase in revenues leading to the total amount of €2.24 billion), ECA and UEFA have together developed a revolutionary club distribution mechanism based on fixed percentages. The key objectives were to reduce the ratio between Champions League and Europa League, to increase the Qualifying Round Share and to revise the leagues’ share distribution concept in favour of medium/smaller championships. The new percentage-based system ensures that every stakeholder will benefit proportionally from the competitions’ continued growth in the future.

The details of the ECA-UEFA Memorandum of Understanding can be viewed on www.ecaeurope.com.

NEW EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER

Further to the resignation of Aušrys Labinas (FK Ekranas), Dino Selimovic (FK Sarajevo) was elected by the ECA 4th Subdivision Clubs to join the ECA Executive Board for the remaining period of the running membership cycle, which lasts until the end of the 2014/15 season. The ECA Executive Board elections for the upcoming 2015-17 membership cycle will take place at the occasion of the 15th ECA General Assembly on 7-8 September 2015.

ECA Club Management Guide

ECA Member Clubs were presented with the first ECA Club Management Guide. The objective of this publication is to provide an in-depth study of the daily business activities of a football club by sharing various club methods and to offer to current and future club officials real-life examples from various areas of club management. More than 150 interviews with no fewer than 100 clubs were conducted to compile a selection of practical case studies. More information about the Guide and how to order a copy will be communicated in due course.

—- At the 14th ECA General Assembly in Stockholm, ECA and UEFA have announced the renewal of their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) until 31 May 2022. The renewed agreement is a testament to the strength of the strategic partnership ECA and UEFA have developed since 2008, with the new memorandum now including for example both the 2018-21 UEFA club competition cycle and UEFA EURO 2020. The agreement sets a new benchmark for the relationship between clubs and national associations, providing clubs a greater role in top-level governance and an increased share of funding.

ECA to join the UEFA Executive Committee

The UEFA Congress last week ratified the principle to allow stakeholder representation in the UEFA Executive Committee. As of its next meeting, two ECA Club Representatives will participate in the UEFA Executive Committee, as “co-opted” members. The presence of club representatives as full members with voting rights in the UEFA Executive Committee will be implemented at the next UEFA Congress, pending the necessary statutory changes. This is a major achievement for ECA and a strong statement of UEFA’s commitment to modern and dynamic governance models. Most importantly, it is an unequivocal acknowledgement of clubs’ importance to the European Game.

Increased role for UEFA Club Competitions Committee

The new MoU further increases the role of the UEFA Club Competitions Committee, wielding more meaningful influence on top-level decision-making. The UEFA Club Competitions Committee refers directly to the UEFA Executive Committee and will retain a “Referral Right” on a number of issues affecting clubs or club competitions. It will also be informed and consulted on marketing and financial matters and be composed exclusively of club representatives.

UEFA EURO 2020 club benefits

For the first time, at the 2020 tournament, the clubs’ financial benefits from UEFA EURO will be calculated as a percentage of the total gross revenue. Clubs will receive 8% of income from broadcast, commercial and ticketing/hospitality, with the minimum set at €200m – a €50m increase on the clubs’ share of UEFA EURO 2016 revenues.

Club competition distribution concept

ECA and UEFA have together developed a revolutionary distribution mechanism for the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, aimed at sharing the competitions’ revenue growth more evenly among European clubs. A record funding pot of €2.24bn – combining 32% higher UEFA club competition revenues with UEFA finals ticketing and hospitality income – will be divided with a new focus on solidarity. A greater proportion of funds than ever before will go to UEFA Europa League participants, to participants in the qualifying rounds and to clubs in medium/smaller championships. The concept means more funding for all, because the new percentage-based system ensures that every stakeholder will benefit proportionally from the competitions’ continued growth. ECA is proud to have completed this virtuous circle for the good of the European game in collaboration with UEFA. The full details of the new distribution can be viewed here.

“The signing of the second agreement with UEFA in 2012 was an historic moment. It expressed the unity of the ECA and our desire to develop and improve club football, and it established us as a serious partner of UEFA. Our third Memorandum of Understanding is the beginning of a new era, a long-term cooperation with UEFA, similar to the one with FIFA. With both governing bodies, we secured in open, fair, but not always easy discussions a stable international match calendar and increased club benefits for the release of players that participate in the EURO and World Cup. Furthermore, in the future ECA will not only be directly involved in the shaping of European football through its participation in the UEFA Executive Committee, but also benefit from higher funding. All clubs will benefit from a higher share of the increased Champions League and Europa League revenues for 2015-2018, in particular the Europa League participants. I would like to thank the UEFA President Michel Platini for sharing our vision of European club football and facilitating this constructive cooperation. The ECA is still a very young organisation and these achievements are an extraordinary success, which will strengthen the solidarity among the clubs and our sense of responsibility for football.”

UEFA President Michel Platini added:

“I am very pleased that we have extended our partnership with the ECA until 2022. I have always believed that UEFA should work together with national associations and clubs in order to find the best ideas and solutions for European Football. I look forward to seeing our relationship continue to blossom in the future as we make sure that our collective interests are promoted and protected. I would also like to thank the ECA chairman, Kalle Rummenigge for his efforts throughout the many years of our cooperation. It has been a pleasure to work with him.”

—- FIFA is pleased to confirm Hawk-Eye as the official goal-line technology (GLT) provider for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015™, which kicks off in Edmonton on 6 June 2015.

It will mark the first time that GLT has featured at the pinnacle event for women’s football and follows the successful implementation of the technology at the FIFA World Cup™, the FIFA Confederations Cup and three FIFA Club World Cups.

The decision comes after a tender process announced in December 2014, when interested FIFA-licensed GLT providers were invited to join an inspection visit to each of the venues in Edmonton, Moncton, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver and Winnipeg.

Hawk-Eye is a camera-based system, with seven cameras per goal installed as high as possible within the stadium structure. Utilising the latest technology of high-frame-rate cameras and cutting-edge vision-processing techniques, Hawk-Eye is able to locate the ball at all times even if it is only found by two of the seven cameras. The system is millimetre-accurate and indicates whether or not a goal has been scored within one second by a vibration and visual signal on each match official’s watch.

The use of Hawk-Eye in Canada will be subject to a final installation test at each stadium, which is a standard procedure as part of the official certification process defined in the GLT Testing Manual. These tests will be conducted by an independent test institute. Prior to the start of every game, the match officials will also carry out their own tests, in line with the operational procedures approved by The International Football Association Board (The IFAB).

The FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015™ will be the second FIFA event to feature Hawk-Eye after it was first used at the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan in 2012. Other GLT providers chosen by FIFA for previous tournaments include GoalControl GmbH and Fraunhofer IIS (GoalRef).

Canada 2015 is the seventh edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™. It will be played from 6 June to 5 July and feature the top 24 teams in the world. For more information on the tournament, visit:

]]>0Keir Radnedgehttp://keirradnedge.comhttp://keirradnedge.com/?p=1120612015-03-31T13:25:39Z2015-03-31T13:25:39ZROME: The Italian football federation has extended and expanded its equipment and licensing deal with Puma.

The new agreement sees Puma remain the official technical supplier of all associated FIGC teams whilst acquiring additional global marketing rights. Additionally, the brand also remains the exclusive master licensee of the body, with responsibility for managing the entire global licensing portfolio of FIGC assets.

Financial terms of the deal have not been released, but a statement confirming the agreement said the contract ‘will entail shared marketing investment allocated to core areas of focus within the FIGC programme including youth development, women’s football, countering racism and the internationalisation of the FIGC brand.’

Puma has been a partner of the FIGC since 2003. The new deal runs into the next decade.

“Extending this long standing partnership with the FIGC is extremely important to Puma and is another key step towards our goal to become the ‘Fastest Sport Brand in the World’,” said Puma chief executive Björn Gulden.

“The FIGC with all its heritage and class is a major ingredient in our football portfolio and there is a clear vision amongst their new senior management that we share and are enthusiastic to support.”

By James Emmett, Editor, SportsProThe battle lines in soccer management have been drawn: the instinct-led traditional approach, and the data-fuelled modern method. For 21st Club founder Blake Wooster, however, there is a middle way….

MARIUS VIZER: SPORT IS MY LIFE

“Sport is the definition of my life”

Lausanne, Switzerland: With just under a month to go for the SportAccord Convention World Sport and Business Summit in Sochi, Russia, SportAccord President, Marius L. Vizer spoke with Euronews about his tenure in office ahead of thepresidential elections during the annual meeting of the sports industry.

“SportAccord has platforms that deliver services to members. We are starting a lot of platforms for international federations, as well as providing solutions for raising money, generating exposure and increasing attractiveness of sports,” said Mr. Vizer, ahead of an expected return to the presidency of SportAccord for a 4-year term.

Recounting his journey in judo, Mr. Vizer said that he would like to replicate a similar model of success for SportAccord. “We went from 2 major events in 4 years to 20 events in a year, which are broadcast in 150 countries,” he said.

Mr. Vizer started his sporting journey as an athlete and then became a coach in judo. After heading his national federation, he took over as the head of the European Judo Union and in 2007 took over the reins of the International Judo Federation. In May 2013, he was elected as the president of SportAccord for a 2-year term during the elections held in St. Petersburg in 2013.

]]>0Keir Radnedgehttp://keirradnedge.comhttp://keirradnedge.com/?p=1120552015-03-31T13:15:31Z2015-03-31T13:13:33ZZURICH: FIFA has confirmed Hawk-Eye as the official goal-line technology provider for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015™, which kicks off in Edmonton on June 6.

It will mark the first time that GLT has featured at the pinnacle event for women’s football and follows the successful implementation of the technology at the FIFA World Cup™, the FIFA Confederations Cup and three FIFA Club World Cups.

The decision comes after a tender process announced in December 2014, when interested FIFA-licensed GLT providers were invited to join an inspection visit to each of the venues in Edmonton, Moncton, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver and Winnipeg.

Hawk-Eye is a camera-based system, with seven cameras per goal installed as high as possible within the stadium structure.

Utilising the latest technology of high-frame-rate cameras and cutting-edge vision-processing techniques, Hawk-Eye is able to locate the ball at all times even if it is only found by two of the seven cameras. The system is millimetre-accurate and indicates whether or not a goal has been scored within one second by a vibration and visual signal on each match official’s watch.

The use of Hawk-Eye in Canada will be subject to a final installation test at each stadium, which is a standard procedure as part of the official certification process defined in the GLT Testing Manual.

These tests will be conducted by an independent test institute. Prior to the start of every game, the match officials will also carry out their own tests, in line with the operational procedures approved by The International Football Association Board (The IFAB).

The FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015™ will be the second FIFA event to feature Hawk-Eye after it was first used at the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan in 2012. Other GLT providers chosen by FIFA for previous tournaments include GoalControl GmbH and Fraunhofer IIS (GoalRef).

Canada 2015 is the seventh edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™. It will be played from 6 June to 5 July and feature the top 24 teams in the world.

]]>0Keir Radnedgehttp://keirradnedge.comhttp://keirradnedge.com/?p=1120132015-03-30T23:27:20Z2015-03-30T23:23:17ZJAMES M DORSEY —- Legal and diplomatic battles in United Nations organisations and international sport associations involving charges of war crimes and efforts to suspend membership of one or the other are likely to shape future Israeli-Palestinian relations in the wake of last month’s electoral victory by Binyamin Netanyahu.

The contours of the coming battles are emerging on football pitches even before Netanyahu forms his cabinet, with a Palestinian campaign to suspend Israeli membership of FIFA and the petitioning by an Israeli law firm of the International Criminal Court to investigate Palestine Football Association president Major General Jibril Rajoub for war crimes allegedly committed during last year’s Gaza war.

A statement on the PFA’s website sought to win support for a PFA resolution calling for the suspension of the Israeli FA, due for submission at FIFA Congress in May.

Michel Platini: UEFA president and FIFA vice-president

In the statement, Mr. Rajoub said the resolution was designed to force Israel and the IFA to:

1, Lift all restrictions on the free movement of Palestinian players, staff and officials within Palestine defined as both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip as well as on the import of soccer equipment;

2, Remove all obstacles to the development of Palestinian soccer;

3, Ban clubs belonging to Israeli settlements on the West Bank from playing in IFA competitions (a demand that goes to the core of disputes over occupied territory between Israelis and the Palestinians);

4, Take firm action to combat racism in Israeli football, a reference to Israeli club Beitar Jerusalem, the only top Israeli club that refuses to hire Palestinian players and whose fan base is overtly racist.

The IFA, the only Middle Eastern FA to have launched an anti-racist campaign, has repeatedly penalised Beitar but has stopped short of cracking down.

The Palestinian campaign that has been building up for several years is embedded in a strategy that seeks to achieve recognition of Palestinian statehood by and membership in United Nations agency while at the same time isolating Israel.

The strategic effort has gathered steam with the recognition of Palestinian statehood by various European countries and acceptance of Palestine by various UN bodies, including the ICC, since last year’s breakdown of US-sponsored Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.

“It is clear that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will form the next government, so we say clearly that we will go to the International Criminal Court in The Hague and we will speed up, pursue and intensify all diplomatic efforts,” Palestinian peace negotiator Saeb Erekat told Agence France Presse.

Pressure for action

Several years of failed attempts to negotiate a solution to Palestinian football problems stemming from Israel policies, have forced football leading global executives to take serious pressure to act against Israel.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter last June averted a push for sanctions against Israel by creating a committee to oversee efforts to address Palestinian grievances and report back to the FIFA exco within six months.

The committee handed back its mandate in December after failing to negotiate a solution, according to the PFA.

Michel Platini, a FIFA vice-president and head of UEFA, warned the IFA recently that Rajoub, a former Palestinian security chief with presidential ambitions who also heads the Palestine National Olympic Committee, planned to petition not only petition FIFA but also UEFA.

“This time it is serious,” Platini was quoted as telling the IFA president, Avi Luzon, saying that several European associations would side with the Palestinians, “even if you are right.”

Israel has been a member of the European federation after 20 years with ‘lone state status’ after being expelled from the Asian Football Confederation in 1974.

Legal arguments

Platini and FIFA secretary-general Jerome Valcke have argued in the past that there were no legal grounds on which to act against Israel given that obstacles to the development of Palestinian football were being imposed by the Israeli military rather than the IFA.

That argument is being called into question by Palestinians who argue that the IFA is in effect an arm of the Israeli state – a charge that matches Israeli allegations against the PFA in the complaint against Rajoub in the International Criminal Court.

Palestinians bolster their assertion with fact that the IFA, like the military, is regulated by Israel’s State Comptroller and that it allegedly is funded to a significant degree by the government.

In the latest of a series of reports on alleged Israeli transgressions of FIFA rules and regulations issued this weekend and circulated by PFA executive committee member Susan Shalabi, the Palestinians moreover charged that IFA demands that the Palestinian association should “operate through the formal channels of the state of Israel” violated FIFA statutes stipulating that members manage their affairs “independently and with no influence from third parties.”

The report argued further that the IFA’s failure to take a stand against Israeli policies that inhibit the development of Palestinian football makes it difficult for the PFA to exercise its rights and fulfil its obligations in accordance with the statutes.

War crimes

In a shot across the Palestinians’ bow, Sherut HaDin – Israel Law Center, a law firm that in February convinced a US jury to order the Palestine Liberation Organization and President Mahmoud Abbas’ Palestine Authority to pay $218.5m to American families of victims of two Palestinian bombings more than a decade ago – petitioned the ICC to investigate Rajoub on charges of war crimes.

The petition asserts that Rajoub, wearing another of his many hats as deputy secretary general of Al Fatah, the largest Palestinian faction in the PLO headed by Abbas, was aware, abetted and endorsed rocket and mortar fire from Gaza on largely civilian targets in Israel during last year’s war by Al Fatah and the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, a militia that is associated with the group.

Relying on media reports, the complaint seeks to establish Rajoub’s guilt by association based on his own statements and those of other Fatah members.

“Our decision is resistance in the occupied territories in order to bring an end to the occupation (using) all forms of resistance,” the complaint quotes Rajoub as saying.

It further quotes Rajoub, who spent 17 years in Israeli prison, as praising the armed resistance in Gaza.

Sherut HaDin failed to answer questions about the complaint despite repeated promises to do so.

Specific target

Those questions included why the law firm had singled out Rajoub and not included in its petition other senior Fatah officials, including those it quotes in its complaint.

It was also unclear whether by identifying Rajoub as a Jordanian national, the law firm was deliberately ignoring the fact that Palestine was joining the ICC as a state rather than an entity or political grouping, both of which would not be eligible for membership.

By design or default, the complaint not only serves as an early indicator of likely diplomatic and legal battles to come, but also effectively seeks to undermine the credibility of Rajoub at a time that he is believed to be positioning himself as a candidate in a future Palestinian presidential election.

If successful, it could strengthen another potential candidate and arch rival of Rajoub, Mohammed Dahlan, who is widely viewed as an US, Israeli and Emirati favourite.

Dahlan, a former head of Al Fatah in Gaza, who sought to overthrow the strip’s Hamas rulers with US and Israeli backing, currently serves as an advisor to United Arab Emirates Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed.

# # #

James M Dorsey is a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, co-director of the University of Würzburg’s Institute for Fan Culture, a syndicated columnist, and the author of The Turbulent World of Middle East Soccer blog and a forthcoming book with the same title